In a Time of Magic
by Aurora Lynn
Summary: Merlin always knew that he and his magic was different. However, once he turned 11 and was able to go to Hogwarts to learn about magic, he learned that he was far different still from anyone he met there, especially the prat of a prince Arthur Pendragon. How is he supposed to complete his destiny when he discovers that he is in love with the person he needed to protect? Hogwarts AU
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This story takes place in a world that is the mix between Camelot and the Wizarding World. None of the characters from Harry Potter are included in this story, I just took the setting and placed our favorite Merlin characters into it. Hopefully any questions that you have about the world will be answered in subsequent chapters, but if you have any pressing questions please leave a comment asking it. Enjoy!**

As darkness started to settle over the land, Hunith was already regretting her decision to go out alone. The winding road that she had walked hundreds of times before seemed longer and more frightening when she carried a lantern in one arm and a baby in the other. She knew, however, that there wasn't anyone that she could trust to walk with her must less carry the secret that she was going to reveal. The rumors were already starting to spread about her and the questionable parentage of the child that she carried. She didn't need anything else to make them grow into something dangerous, if only for her child's sake. As it was the only person that she could trust with something this important and terrifying was Gaius, the very person that she had headed out to meet in the first place. She had trusted his request to meet far away from the town as possible, but she wished that there was a way that they could have met without putting herself or more importantly her baby at risk.

As this thought crossed her mind, she slowed down for a moment and looked down at the sleeping child in her arm. How he was asleep was beyond her; she had constantly needed to readjust herself while walking on the road, attempting to balance herself, the child, and the lantern all at the same time. She was grateful for his ability to sleep her jostling though, giving her one of those rare moments of peace of being able to see her son as peaceful and, well, normal as he could be. So long as his eyes were closed and he was unmoving she could imagine that just for a second he was a perfectly average child...

She quickly chastised herself for her uncharitable thoughts. Just because he was a difficult and unusual child with difficult and unusual gifts, he was still her son. Her beautiful, gentle, wonderful son with an adorable laugh and bright blue eyes. She loved her little baby boy unconditionally, and even in the worst moments she knew that it wasn't his fault that he had the gifts that he had. He was born special and she was grateful for him, difficulties and all. "My special Merlin," she whispered to the child softly, not wishing to wake him. For a moment he stirred slightly in her arm and she was worried that she had managed to disturb him from his slumber. However, after a moment he settled back in her arms, albeit a little less comfortably for her, and smiled his adorable baby smile to which she had no choice but to smile back at.

It was the whistle of the wind as it shook the trees around her that brought her attention back to the world around her. The sky had gotten even darker than she had realized, making her lantern a necessity rather than a luxury. In a few minutes it would be fully night, giving all of the dark things in the world full cover to come out. She looked around her to make sure that no one suspicious was nearby before picking up her pace. She could see the intersection that Gaius had instructed her to wait at ahead with made her let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't see any sign of Gaius or his incoming arrival, but she knew the man long and well enough that he come soon enough.

As the wind picked up some more and shook the trees even more violently, she began to wonder if it was a good idea meeting outside like this. There had been no signs that a storm was coming, but these days after nightfall there was more often a storm than not. It was a sign of dark things to come, the townfolk whispered, and Hunith couldn't help but agree with them. Something evil was starting to stir and all she knew was that she had to protect her son from it.

Once she arrived at the intersection with the old worn sign, she placed down the lantern in her left hand and used it to get Merlin into a more comfortable position. Again, he shifted in his sleep but did not awaken. The wind continued to shake the trees around her and although the sky was completely dark she could tell that storm clouds were starting to roll in. She looked around for Gaius or anything that might signify his arrival, but the area around her was as barren as when she had been walking. Merlin shifted in her arms again and when she looked down at him she saw that his blue eyes were wide open and he was smiling up at her.

"Well hello Merlin," she said softly with a smile. "Did you have a good nap?" At the sound of his mother's voice his smile grew even wider and he let out that endearing laugh of his. How could anyone think that he was a monster, she thought. He was such an innocent child and she knew that no darkness could ever take a place in his heart. He started to laugh more and clap his hands, which he only did when someone that he liked was around or he had performed a particularly impressive (and messy) piece of magic. "What's so funny?" she asked him, not expecting him to be able to answer. However, to her surprise he lifted a tiny arm and pointed down the road. Looking up, Hunith saw an older man standing about twenty feet away from her. "Gaius?"

"Yes, Hunith, its me," Gaius said, his voice far wearier than she remembered hearing it. It was unmistakably the voice of Gaius, though, and she was relieved to hear it.

"Thank goodness its you, Gaius," She said, taking a few steps towards him with Merlin in her arms. "I was worried that the storm would have scared you off." She was more worried that he had decided not to help her after all. He had mentioned in the letter that he sent her (which had arrived from an owl, oddly enough) that helping her might be difficult or even dangerous for him in a way that he couldn't explain in a letter. Hunith didn't understand what would be dangerous about it and she was thankful that he was willing to help her despite the risks.

"I wouldn't let a mere storm keep me from helping an old friend," he replied, closing the distance between them. He put hand on her shoulder and hugged her as well as he could when there was a child in one of her arms. "Besides, I know a few tricks that should keep us dry." With that the wind picked up even more, enough to make the light in the lantern start to flicker and make Gaius and Hunith unstable. Instead of looking frightened, however, Merlin just smiled and giggled at Gaius, reaching out to him with his baby arms. "And this must be Merlin, then," He said almost warily, taking a step back to take a proper look at the child.

"Yes, yes it is," she replied, smiling down at her bundle of joy. He didn't seem at all afraid of Gaius, or of the situation at all. He was always her fearless child. Looking back up at Gaius, she let her smile drop and the worry enter her eyes. "Please tell me that you can help us."

Gaius didn't answer her for a second, still studying Merlin. He seemed troubled by something but he let no indication of what it was. "I'm not sure. Raising a magical child without magic of your own is difficult in its own right, but if what you say is true, then..." He trailed off, either not knowing how to finish that sentence or not wishing to. "Would you be able to have him show me the things you spoke of in your letter?"

"Oh, of course!" She said. She reached into the pocket of her dress to retrieve a perfect blue feather. "He loves to play with this," she explained to Gaius. "I don't know where it came from, but the day that he was born he—well, I'll let him show you." At that, she raised the feather over Merlin's face and let it fall from her fingers.

Before it had even completely fallen out of her fingers, golden dust surrounded the feather, preventing it from falling. He laughed as he made it slowly drift downwards towards his face but never letting it completely touch his head. The feather then flew up towards Hunith's face, then Gaius's, and finally settling down in a steady orbit around their heads. With each pass it took it changed to a different color. "He did the exact same thing minutes after he was born, only he managed to make more feathers appear somehow. They all were dancing around our heads, just like this, and that's how we—that's how I knew that he was special. And I knew what to name him. Merlin, after the bird that all of the feathers came from. I thought it was only fitting."

To Hunith's relief, Gaius seemed more amused than worried. "That's something very common for children with the gift for magic do as infants. They find something that they like and make it float around for awhile. Granted, its usually not quite as early and to quite the same scale as Merlin is capable of doing, but its quite normal." As they talked, the feather slowed down until it went completely still in the middle of Hunith and Gaius, having changed back to its original silvery blue color. "However, you said that there were other things that he could do?"

"Yes," she replied, still sounding nervous. This was the part that seemed to worry Gaius, and if she was being honest with herself she was worried about it too. "He communicates with me sometimes. I mean, he's far too young to talk, but sometimes he can put...pictures into my head, and based on what they are I can tell what he's trying to say."

Gaius nodded thoughtfully, his eyes settling on Merlin again. "Can you get him to do that to me too?"

"Of course, he is usually very open about it," she replied, snatching the feather from out of the air and putting it back into her pocket. "Merlin, sweetheart, would you be able to show Gaius the pretty pictures that you like to show me?" She asked looking down at him, using the voice that a mother uses on her child. He looked back up at her quizzically and then to Gaius.

Gaius took a step towards him and bent down slightly so that he was more at the child's level. "Come on Merlin, show Gaius some of your favorite things," Hunith said a little more forcibly this time.

Seeming to understand that his mother wanted him to do, Merlin smiled again and looked into Gaius's eyes. Gaius had just a moment to register the fact that Merlin's eyes flashed a bright gold before his mind was bombarded with pictures. Of a woman who could be no one else other than Hunith, with a beautiful gold aura surrounding her, the feeling of love and pure happiness; of a too-small cabin, slightly cluttered with the mess that he made, the feeling of warmth and safety; of a man with long dark hair, kind of blurry, the feeling of love and confusion to why he isn't there; of the sunrise and sunset and stars in the sky, the feeling of wonder; of a flock of birds flying high in the sky, the feeling of freedom. Then, as soon as the pictures started, they stopped again, leaving Gaius to look at Merlin's smiling face and normal, blue eyes.

For a few moments Gaius didn't say anything. Even though he knew what to expect, he had hoped beyond hope that there had been a mistake and that Merlin wasn't cursed with this after all. But after that show there was no mistaking it; Merlin had both physical and mental magic, for better or for worse. "This is troubling," he mused out loud before looking back up to Hunith's worried face. At that moment, as if in response to his words, the wind blew again and rain started to fall from the sky. Everyone seemed surprised at this, forgetting that the world existed beyond their conversation.

Quickly, Gaius drew his wand from his pocket. "May I?" he asked her, motioning to the rain above. She nodded in response to him, drawing Merlin closer to her to protect him from the rain. He made a quick motion with his wand and spoke the word "_Impervius._" Hunith didn't feel any different after the spell was cast, but as she looked down at herself and Merlin she realized that the water wasn't hitting her clothes or her skin anymore, but rather being reflected with a faint blue aura. Her eyes widened as they always did when she saw him, or anyone else, do magic. It still amazed her how humans could be capable of such amazing things. Just like her son.

"You know what is going on with him, right?" Hunith asked Gaius, unable to forget for long the reason of their meeting. "You can help him?"

"I know what this is, yes," He replied slowly, seeming to choose his words carefully. "There are two types of magic in this world, physical and mental, and Merlin is blessed with both. Mental magic has long since been mistrusted along with its practitioners, and recently it has been hated and feared by most of the magic community. Thus not many people understand it very well...not even the people that have access to it.

"Merlin is even more special with his ability to use both. Most people can only use one type, if any at all. The fact that he can use both will cause many to persecute him if anyone were to ever find out." He finished, never taking his eyes away from Hunith. She deserved to know the truth, even if it would hurt.

With each word her eyes grew larger with worry. "You mean...he is in danger?"

"I'm afraid so. You'll find that people no matter where they are dangerous towards those who are different." He replied sadly, finally breaking eye contact.

"You have to help me then," she pleaded, grabbing Gaius's hand with her free hand. "I can't do this by myself, I don't have any idea how to help me. Please, for his sake, help us. Help him."

Gaius was forced to look her in the eye again and see her pain and anxiety. He knew that it was going to be hard to refuse to get involved with their plight, but he didn't think that it would be as hard as it was. He knew it would be better for both of them if they didn't have magical interference to draw attention to them. "I'm sorry..." he began apologetically before looking down at Merlin again.

Merlin had settled down from his earlier fit of laughter, seeming to realize the solemnity of the situation. He reached out with his little hands, mesmerized by the blue aura that surrounded his skin. He tried to grab the raindrops, and looked confused and slightly frustrated when he couldn't. Gaius looked at the boy and saw an innocent, pure child with a power that could rip him apart from the inside out. He knew that without any way of controlling his power at best Merlin would grow insane and at worst perish before ever having a realized life. He couldn't let either of that happen.

He put his other hand on top of Hunith's and continued speaking. "...I'm sorry that I don't know much about this form of magic or how to help him. However, I will do everything in my power to help you and the boy."

"Thank you! Thank you so much," She exclaimed, smiling widely, relief evident in her eyes. "You have no idea how much this means to me. I knew that I could count on you."

"Yes, well, I haven't helped you yet," Gaius said, slightly embarrassed at her sudden show of emotion. "I'm not even sure if I c_an _help you. Like I said, I don't know much about mental magic much less someone with both. But I will help you if I can."

She looked back at him fondly, replying "That's all that I can ask you to do."

Now that the decision was made, Gaius grabbed the lantern and walked with Hunith back to her cabin on the outskirts of town.

Far away and away from the rain that was plaguing the lower villages, another baby boy was in the arms of a woman. However, unlike Hunith and Merlin, this child looking nothing like the nurse that was holding him. He had a thin layer of golden hair and brilliant blue eyes, whereas the woman had brown hair and even darker eyes. The child seemed to be able to tell that this woman was not his mother by the way that he was crying incessantly for the past few hours. The nurse continued to rock him in her arms in an attempt to lull the child to sleep. She knew that Uther was going to check in on the child soon and the last thing that he would want to deal with was an inconsolable child and the nurse who was unable to calm him down.

As if sensing the nurse's wishes, the baby quieted down his wails so that they sounded more like whimpers. Relieved that something had soothed him, the nurse put him down in a beautifully ornate cradle fit for a prince. The wood had the finest quality craftsmanship with the name "Arthur" engraved in pure gold on its side. Above the cradle hung a mobile with lions and all sorts strong creatures the child reached up to grab. Seeing that Arthur had settled down enough from his long fit of crying, the nurse went about to tidy up the room for the arrival of Uther.

Seeing that reaching up to grab the toy lion from the mobile wasn't going to work, Arthur had to find another way to keep himself entertained. Getting an idea, Arthur concentrated on making the mobile spin, imagining how much fun that he would have once it started spinning. Very slowly, the mobile started to spin around his head, as if a wind were blowing it. That was as much as he was capable of doing as an infant and it was more than enough for Arthur to be entertained. He smiled and laughed at the golden mobile above his head, his arms still reaching up in an attempt to grasp it.

As soon as he was started to have fun trying to make it go faster, the door slammed open and a man came in with a frown on his face that Arthur knew to be his father. "Your majesty," the nurse said from across the room, going into a deep curtsy. "I fed and changed Prince Arthur, just as you requested, and finally was able to get him to stop crying. I had put him in his crib to—"

"Yes, thank you for doing your job," Uther said gruffly, cutting her off by walking over to the crib. "Any sign of sickness or weakness?"

"No, sire," she responded quickly. "No sign of anything related to the...difficult birth. He seems as healthy as any child his age, if healthier."

Uther's frown softened a little at this news, relieved to hear that his son at least would be okay but unwilling to show it. Taking her cue, she continued to tidy up the room around her. Instead of asking any more questions, he looked at the child and the spinning mobile, studying his one and only heir. With a sharp motion and grabbed the mobile that was spinning on its own accord, stopping it. Arthur's smiling stopped and he turned slightly to look at his father. Arthur could tell that he wasn't happy about something and hoped it wasn't because he was moving the mobile.

"There will be no more of that," Uther said, his voice stern and strong. Arthur's smile instantly disappeared and he stared up at his father as solemnly as a child could muster. "Magic is not a toy, and it is just as well that you learn that now. You will have no more time for magic tricks. You are going to become a warrior." Uther shifted himself so that he was looking directly down at Arthur, trying to ignore the fact that the eyes of his son were so similar to the eyes of his diseased wife.

"I need you to be strong, Arthur," he began, trying the words in his mouth. He knew Ygraine would have wanted their son to have been raised both in compassion and strength, but he didn't believe in teaching his son compassion in a world that obviously didn't have any. "When you're older I'm going to need you to help me find those responsible for—for your mother's death."

Uther could feel his throat start to tighten at the mention of his love but he couldn't let his weakness show. So instead of sadness he replaced the emotion with a far more useful one—anger. "Together you and I will rid the world of their kind! We have been far too lenient with those _sorcerers_. I should have never let them—" He cut off again, his anger not enough to contain his other, weaker emotions that threatened to creep up. Not knowing what else to do, he slammed his fist on the side of the crib. "_They. Will. Pay!" _He yelled at the child, his face contorting into something truly awful.

At the sudden noise and shaking of the crib, Arthur's face contorted as well and he began to cry and awful wail. Realizing what he had done, Uther stepped away from the cradle and sunk to the floor, looking at the hand that struck the cradle. The nurse took this opportunity to grab the prince from the cradle and rush away from the room, fearful of Uther and what he might do to the child if he had remained.

The only thing that you could hear above the loud wails of the child was Uther himself, crying out the name of his wife over and over again until his voice grew hoarse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you for receiving the first chapter so well! I'm glad that people seem to enjoy the idea thus far. This chapter actually ended up being quite longer than the things I usually write, so I felt that I would post Arthur's part to the chapter as a separate chapter altogether. Things will certainly get easier once they are united in Hogwarts (as I am sure everyone is looking forward to). As always I am happy to receive questions and comments, and I hope you enjoy!**

Merlin woke up to feeling of magic coursing through his veins. Instinctively, he fought to calm it down—he had learned from experience that rampant magic meant magic outbursts, which meant bad things would happen, which meant that his mother would have that sad look in her eye. The last thing that he wanted to do was cause his mother to be sad, so he always tried so very hard to keep his magic under control.

Usually, keeping his magic under control was much easier said than done. Gaius told him that there were many people born with magic, but Merlin couldn't help but think that if many people had the same level of magic in their blood that there would be a lot more magical accidents than there was. Of course, there weren't many people with the same level of magic as him. In fact, as far as Merlin could tell in his little corner of the world, he had the worst case of uncontrollable magic imaginable.

It felt like sparks on top of and underneath his skin; exhilarating, yet terrifying. Sometimes the magic seemed like it was bouncing in his veins, yet other times it seemed to lie still, choosing to slither instead of bounce. Fire, ice, electricity, he had experienced practically every form of magic that anyone had experienced. No matter how the magic chose to manifest himself, Merlin knew that any lapse in concentration would mean a piece of his magic would slip out and possibly hurt someone that he loved.

That was why when felt the magic particularly out of control he fought so desperately to keep it to himself. Luckily for him, over the years, through Gaius's guidance and his own self-teaching, his magic had tamed significantly. Even though he could always feel the constant presence of his 'gift', as his mother liked to put it, now it only got really bad when he was especially excited, especially scared, or sensed something out of place.

Which raised the question, why was his magic acting up this morning?

A quick scan around his room revealed that there was no immediate threat that his magic could be reacting to. Tentatively, he reached out with his magic to be sure that there was no danger about. He had learned when he was around 6 that his magic could sense when he or someone he knew was in danger. A group of thieves were breaking into the house down the street that belonged to his best and only friend, Will. Merlin had woken up screaming, and when Hunith had rushed in to comfort him, the only thing that she could get him to say was that someone was trying to hurt Will and he had to save him. Luckily, moments later the police came and caught the thieves before any damage could have been done. From then on, neither he or his mother doubted his intuitions again.

But even after the most thorough search that he could do without the risk of setting his magic loose, he still didn't find anything particularly out of place or frightening. So that left either something exciting or...

As the thought hit his sleepy mind, he could not help but laugh at his own silliness. How could he forget? His birthday! His magic jolted down his body from his head to his toe, bubbling in agreement. And not just any birthday, but his 11th, when he would finally get his letter to be able to attend Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. Unable to contain his excitement, he threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. He raced out of the room, ignoring the fact that the door opened for him and closed behind him, and ran down the stars.

"Momma!" He called out enthusiastically, knowing that on today of all days she would be awake and, most importantly, home.

He was proven right when he heard the bright voice of his mother say "In the kitchen, sweetheart!" Following her voice, he turned into their small yet cheery kitchen to see his mother cooking at the stove. "Happy Birthday Merlin! Now, before you go snooping around trying to find your presents, sit down. Breakfast is almost ready."

Merlin sat down obediently even though there was nothing more tempting than running around the house trying to find his gift. That was often half the fun was trying to find it before opening it. But, as his stomach would tell him, breakfast was far more important. "Is that eggs?" he asked, sniffing the air and trying to shift his position to see what she was cooking. Another aroma filled his senses, one even more delicious. "And...sausage?" His stomach growled at the thought of having such delicious foods.

Hunith, turning off the stove and putting some of the eggs and sausage on a plate for Merlin, smiled at him. "It's your favorite, isn't it?" she put down the plate in front of him where a knife and a fork were already set. Merlin looked at it with his big blue eyes, every muscle in his body was tensed and ready to eat it. "Go on, then. I'll get my plate in a second. Dig in!"

He didn't need to be told twice. He picked up his knife and fork and began shoveling the food into his mouth unceremoniously. "Smaller bites, Merlin, you don't have to breathe it in like that." Even though her voice sounded slightly stern, there was a smile on her lips and in her eyes. She wished that she could make this breakfast for her son every morning to make him happy. But with money as tight as it was, it was hard to be able to afford anything more extravagant than cereal or porridge to eat for breakfast. She went over and took the remaining eggs and sausage, put it on her plate, and took her place across from her son. If there was significantly less food on her plate than she put on Merlin's plate, he was far too engrossed in his food to notice.

"Is there any more sausage?" Merlin asked as he chewed his food, forgetting his manners in his haste to eat as much of his food as possible.

"Here you go," Hunith said, taking two of the three sausages from her plate and putting it onto his.

"But isn't that yours?"

"Don't worry about it, Merlin. You need it more than me, you're a growing boy after all." she replied with a mother's smile and a ruffle to his hair before starting to eat her food herself.

He looked at the sausage on his plate, having every intention of giving it back to his mother like he knew he should. But his stomach was far stronger than his mind and as soon as he swallowed his previous bite he bit into one of the two extra sausages on his plate.

It wasn't long before Hunith was done with the food on her plate, even though she had taken great care to eat it slowly enough to savor every bite. Glancing over and seeing that his mother had finished, Merlin cut his second sausage in half. "Here, Momma, we'll share the last one." He said, pushing the bigger half onto his mother's plate.

She considered refusing the food, knowing that it was Merlin's favorite and it would be un-motherly to take it on his birthday. But upon seeing the innocent and worried look in her son's eye, she knew that it would be even more un-motherly to refuse. "Thank you, Merlin," she said instead, cutting into her sausage and taking a bite. She closed her eyes as the flavor burst in her mouth and wished for her sake as well as Merlin's that they could eat like this every day.

Once Merlin had finished his plate he bounced up and down in his seat. The food had done much to calm down his racing magic, but the excitement of knowing that there was still more to come to the day was enough to keep it active and ready for an outlet. Seeing this, Hunith said "Why don't you go and try to find your gift while I clean up?" She smiled at him wickedly. "Though, I'm pretty sure that you won't be able to find it this year."

That was enough to get Merlin out of his seat. He had never failed to find his birthday present in previous years and he was sure that this year wouldn't be the first. "Yeah right!" Merlin exclaimed, already halfway out the kitchen. "I'll probably find it in 5 seconds!"

Chuckling to herself, Hunith finished the last bite of eggs on her plate and started to clean up the plates and the pans. While she was glad that Merlin was excited for his birthday, as all little boys should be, she was also surprised that there hadn't been any "accidents" yet. With magic as strong as Merlin's, when he felt any particularly strong emotion his magic was almost certain to react accordingly. It just showed how much he had grown and learned over the years. Self control wasn't something that a boy his age should have, but for someone like Merlin it was a skill that he would need.

In the living room, Merlin was looking all around. He picked up pillows and books and even the rug in order to find his gift. His magic ached to help him in his task, but Merlin knew that it was against the rules to use magic in order to find it. If she didn't use magic to make it or hide it, his mother would say, then he shouldn't have to use magic in order to find it. Besides, he was old enough to realize that it was one of the many things his mother did to help him be in better control of his magic, something that Merlin so desperately wanted.

Satisfied that there was nothing in the main room, Merlin climbed the stairs two at a time to look upstairs. He first checked his own room, even though he knew that there was no way that she would have been able to hide anything in there without him realizing. A quick check under his bed and in his closet confirmed this, and he set off into his mother's room instead. He spent much longer looking in there than his own room, remembering that one time a couple of years ago when she had hid his gift underneath her bed. But when that search came up empty, he started looking in the closet and even the bathroom hoping to find something out of place.

Finally, a half an hour later, he wearily went back down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his mother was working on mixing something. Even though she didn't turn around, somehow she knew that he was there waiting at the door. "Having trouble already, Merlin?" She asked, humor evident in her voice.

"I looked _everywhere_ for it, Mom," Merlin complained, trying and failing to hide it. "_Everywhere_. This is impossible!"

"Would you like me to give you a hint?"

After a moment of consideration, Merlin put aside his pride and responded "Yes please."

She stopped mixing whatever was in the bowl and started pouring it into a baking pan. "Have you tried looking outside?"

"What?" His mouth dropped open at the thought that it might be outside. "But—but—but that's _cheating_."

"Not cheating, Merlin, merely...making things more of a challenged," she explained. "As you've been getting older, you've been getting better and better at finding the gift. You don't want it to be too easy, do you?"

Now that she put it that way, Merlin was slightly less offended at the notion. He was excellent at finding the gifts, even without magic. It was only natural that she would need to find more difficult ways of hiding it. "I guess not," he admitted. "But it's still cheating."

Hunith chuckled. "You better hurry up if you want to find it before your Uncle Gaius gets here." As if on cue, as soon as the words left her mouth they could hear a sharp knocking on the door. "Speaking of, why don't you get the door Merlin, I think he's here now."

Merlin ran towards the door and flung it open, excited at the thought of seeing Gaius. He remembered Gaius, his uncle by name more than blood, from his earliest childhood, always being there to guide him when he needed it most. His mother was a great support and he wouldn't change her for the world, but when it came to magic she was as good as clueless. It was because of his mentor's guidance that his magic was, relatively speaking, under control. Gaius used to visit the house extensively over the summer, working with Merlin to refine his magic and his discipline. As Merlin got older and needed Gaius less, he started visiting less and less often until for the past couple of years he only visited during Merlin's birthday and Christmastime.

As such, visits from Gaius were always a precious thing. Before Gaius could even register that the door was open, much less able to get a word out in greeting, Merlin had his arms wrapped around his uncle's middle. "Hi Uncle Gaius!" he exclaimed, as cheerful as ever.

"Happy birthday my boy," Gaius replied with a smile and pat to the back. "My, you have grown since I've last seen you. You are growing into quite the young man."

Merlin giggled at that and let go of Gaius. "You say that every time you see me!"

"And I'll keep saying it as long as its true. Now, where's your mother? I'd like to say hello to her too."

"She's in the kitchen making something, you can go right in" Merlin replied casually until a second later his face lit up. "I'll be inside in a second, I have to go find my gift!" Before Gaius could have stopped him if he had wanted to, Merlin raced past Gaius, almost tripping over himself down the stairs. Chuckling to himself, Gaius stepped into the house and shut the door after him.

After he recovered from his almost-fall, Merlin turned his attention to the area around him. Their lot wasn't very big, but there were plenty of bushes that it would be easy to hid a gift in, especially if it was a small one. He started his scan of the bushes around the house, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. It wasn't until he was halfway around the house when he saw it, a carefully wrapped parcel suspended between two bushes at a perfect height for Merlin to grab. He needn't have looked so carefully, since the bright blue wrapping paper provided a nice contrast from the dark green of the bushes. Taking great care as to not rip the wrapping paper, Merlin reached up and grabbed the gift. It was soft and squishy, nothing like the boxes that he was used to getting in the past. He briefly wondered what it could be. He restrained himself from opening it, though, knowing that it would be against the rules to open it early.

Smiling widely at his success, he ran back into the house where the only two members of his family that he really knew were waiting.

"Look Mom, I found it!" he yelled loudly as he raced into the kitchen, where his mother and Gaius were sitting at the table talking quietly. If Merlin wasn't so focused on his gift, he might have noticed the look of concern and sadness on Hunith's face. But as soon as Merlin entered the room, both of the adults schooled their features into a much happier demeanor.

"Good job, Merlin!" His mother said, her voice almost sounding forced with excitement. "Now hurry up and change so we can get an early start to the clearing."

His smile grew even louder at the thought of going to the clearing. He quickly ran up to get dressed in comfortable clothes, ready for a day outside. When he came back down stairs he found the two adults still at the table, making quiet conversation under their breath. Merlin wondered briefly what it was about, and once he realized that it probably had something to do with his birthday he crept to the doorway, trying to listen to what was being said. He could only pick up snippets of the conversation and none of it really made much sense to Merlin.

"...are you sure it's safe, I don't...so far away from home..."

"...the safest place for him, I'm afraid..."

"...what if someone finds out what he..."

"...it's the best place for him to master..."

The conversation cut short when Hunith looked over to see Merlin not so subtly eavesdropping at the door. "Merlin!" She exclaimed and Merlin was worried that he would be scolded for listening in. Instead, she merely smiled at him and said "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah yeah yeah!" Merlin cheered, practically jumping up and down in his excitement, all thoughts of the adult conversation forgotten.

At that, Hunith grabbed a picnic basket and the three of them headed out the door. It was a remarkably beautiful day, with the sun warm in the sky and the clouds floating peacefully overhead. The blue of the sky was the kind that you only dreamed of or saw in airbrushed magazines and at times you could quite literally hear birds chirping their contentment. Merlin quickly took the lead, knowing the way to his favorite clearing in the woods by heart.

It had started with Merlin needing a place to practice his magic safely without the people of the village seeing. Most of the magic that he did was the normal, physical kind, called wizardry, like creating things out of thin air or changing the color of plants. It was things that people who were around magic were used to seeing, albeit usually from a gifted witch or wizard with a wand in their use. However, it was Merlin's practice of a darker magic, mental magic or as many called it sorcery that needed to be hidden. This involved things like creating illusions or talking to animals, and while it was harder to spot outright than physical magic, the implications if Merlin was caught practicing would be deadly to all those involved.

No one knew the exact reason why mental magic was so feared throughout the kingdom. It was generally known, however, that so called sorcery was resulted in the death of the late queen, Ygraine. While many did not know the reason for the ban of all magic that fell under the category of mental, all knew of the fury and hatred that the king had for all of those who practiced it. The burnings had started well before Merlin was born and although they were not quite as frequent as they were during the Purge, many travelers to Ealdor came with tales of burnings in the nearby villages.

"Why does the king hate sorcery so much?" Merlin asked Gaius one day.

"Because someone used it to hurt someone that he loved." Gaius said softly. _They were trying to help her_, Gaius wanted to add, but didn't have the part of him that was close to Uther prevented him from saying it.

Merlin nodded, knowing that he would hate something that hurt his mother, Gaius, or Will. "But how could something like mental magic hurt anyone? It's harmless!"

Gaius considered him carefully, deciding how much he should let Merlin know of the evil in the world. "You wouldn't use it to hurt anyone, Merlin, but there are people out there who would take every opportunity to do harm, magic or not. And as you get older and grow into your powers, you will realize that even mental magic can do harmful things, even when you intend it for good."

Regardless of sorcery's capability of hurting people, it was banned throughout the land and anyone caught using it was sentenced to death with barely a trial. Thus it became crucial to have a safe place out of the way for Merlin to practice. And that's where the clearing came in. Merlin wasn't sure if he or his mother or even Gaius found it, but as soon as it was discovered it became the only place where Merlin was allowed to do magic more powerful than making his bed or picking up items.

Not only was it safe and secluded, but it was also a beautiful place to be in itself. It was small, as clearings go, but there was plenty of space for Merlin to run around to his heart's content. To Merlin, the grass always looked greener and the air tasted crisper than the rest of the forest. Whether it was his child's imagination or his own magic that sustained the image, he could not imagine a more beautiful place to be.

As Merlin broke through the thick of the trees and gazed at his precious clearing, he could feel his magic hum within him. He looked up at his mother, eyes wide with anticipation, and looked for her approval. She smiled and nodded, and that was all the permission he needed.

That entire morning and most of the afternoon passed by in a blur. He vaguely remembered showing Gaius a few new things that he learned (and receiving a raised eyebrow at a few of the less-than-mature ones, but never a scolding) and Gaius in turn leading him through a few calming exercises. But mostly what he remembered was running and leaping around the clearing, making scattered leaves into mini tornados or changing the colors of the flowers around him, and basically just letting his magic loose in a way that he simply couldn't at home.

He briefly considered opening his mind to his mother and Gaius, starting a telepathic communication between them that was far more expressive than words could be. After all, no one would see, that's why they had hiked all the way to the clearing. But when he recalled the last time he tried to use sorcery, with the look of horror on his mother's face and the disapproval on Gaius', he found that the fear was far greater than the temptation. So when he was done running and jumping around, he decided instead to lie down on the soft grass and let his magic seep into the earth, briefly wishing that it could disappear into the dirt forever.

However, when his mother called him over for lunch and he got up, he could still feel the faint hum of his magic underneath his fingertips. It was hard to be unhappy, though, when you're surrounded by blue skies and your loved ones, and Merlin wasn't a naturally unhappy person. So long as he had his home and his mother, he knew he would be happy.

"Merlin, slow down, you're going to choke at the rate you're going at," Hunith chided lightly, munching on a small sandwich of her own.

"But it's so good," Merlin replied, his mouth full of food. He hadn't realized that he had been so hungry when he had been playing around but he was sure glad of the food now. He swallowed his food this time before saying "Besides, the faster I eat the faster I can open my presents!"

Hunith paled slightly at the word, but Merlin was far too interested in his food to notice. "Well, they'll still be there after you're done your food, so no need to rush." She fought against the tightness in her voice and made the smile on her face grow to mask her emotion.

Her words were lost on Merlin, who had finished the rest of his sandwich in a quick series of bites. "Is it present time now?" He asked his mother eagerly, making his eyes as big and bright as he could knowing that she could never resist it when he did that.

It got the result that he wanted; her smile softened and she reached over to pull her parcel closer to him. "Sure, sweetheart. You're the birthday boy."

Merlin grabbed the gift and put it on his lap, admiring it for what he guessed to be an appropriate amount of time. When his impatience got the better of him, he ripped open the wrapping paper as he always did, too excited to try and save the paper.

Underneath the blue wrapping paper was a dark folded quilt. Intrigued, Merlin unfolded it to see the design. The main part of the quilt was a beautiful collection of dark blue, purples, and blacks, all pieced together seamlessly. Together with the silver and white stars scattered on the quilt, it could only have been the night sky that his mother had quilted for him. The boarder was the same silvery color that the stars were and was embroidered with elegant swirling designs. On the bottom left-hand corner was the name _Merlin Emrys_ stitched in dark blue thread.

He looked over the whole quilt quietly, his mouth open slightly in shock. He had seen plenty of his mother's work in the past, both things for himself or for friends that she knew. But this was something completely different and extraordinary. It almost seemed as if she had picked part of the night sky and threaded it together in a blanket for him to use. He wondered briefly if his mother had access to magic after all.

"I hope you like it," Hunith said after Merlin hadn't said anything for a few moments. "I wasn't sure what colors you'd like on it, but I didn't want to ask for your opinion on it since it would ruin the surprise, so I decided to wing it and—"

"Mom, it's beautiful," Merlin said cutting his mother off, not wanting her to feel like he didn't like the gift. "I love it, it—it's perfect. Thank you so much."

Gaius spoke up as well, admiring the quilt with an eye that had obviously seen some fine work in the past. "You really outdid yourself, Hunith. It is quite lovely."

His mother smiled at him, glad to get the reaction that she did. "Thank you, Gaius. I really hoped it would come out well. Happy birthday Merlin." Merlin folded the quilt back up as best as he could and got up to give his mother a big hug. She hugged him back surprisingly tight, almost squeezing the air from his lungs. Despite its tightness, it felt nice to Merlin.

Once Merlin had sat back down in the seat that he was in, Gaius reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter. "This is for you too. I know it doesn't look like much, but I'll explain it to you once you open it." Gaius exchanged a glance with Hunith, almost as if he was asking for permission. Whatever he saw in her gaze was enough for him, because a moment later he handed the letter to Merlin. It had a strange weight in his hand, as if there was something morn in it than simply paper. Even the address was peculiar, reading in a carefully printed script "_Mr. M. Emrys, The First Room on the Top of the Stairs, 3 Stone Drive, Ealdor_". He couldn't remember when he had ever had a letter sent directly to him, much less with such accuracy on the address.

Having made his decision, he carefully opened the envelope, ripping it slightly by accident. Inside the envelope were two pieces of the strangest feeling stationary that he had ever felt. It felt crisp and new, like someone very rich and important had taken the time to write him a letter. When he looked at the first page of the letter, he could barely believe what it said. As if to make it more real to him, he read the words out loud carefully, just loud enough for his mother and Gaius to hear.

_"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."_ He looked up at Gaius, looking to see if this was some joke or mistake. He had heard of the school, of course, but had always thought that it was for people who, well, weren't freaks. Upon seeing the serious, almost solemn look on his uncle's face, he looked back down and continued reading.

"_Dear Mr. Emrys, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1__st__. We await your owl by no later than July 31__st__. Yours sincerely, Geoffrey Monmouth, Deputy Headmaster." _More confused than before, he looked at the next page to see if it offered any explanation. Instead, it merely had, as promised, a list of books and equipment that was completely unfamiliar with him.

He looked back up at Gaius' face and his mother's face in turn, looking for answers that he couldn't find in the letter. "I don't understand," he finally said when neither of them offered information.

Hunith opened her mouth as if to say something but found that she couldn't say whatever she had to offer. Instead, Gaius spoke, choosing his words carefully. "Hogwarts, as you probably know, is an extremely prestigious school in Camelot where the brightest witches and wizards go for their education in magic. They take all of the magical kids in Camelot and neighboring kingdoms and pick the most promising of them to attend their school at age eleven. And they picked you, my boy, to attend."

Merlin stared at him for a moment, letting the words that he spoke sink in. His mind raced around piecing things together, and there were so many questions that he wanted to ask. There was a particular question that stood out in his mind, one that had haunted him for many years in different forms. "Why me? I don't deserve it—I have sorcery, Gaius. They don't want me. I'm a monster."

At this, Hunith reacted as a mother must. She pulled her son into the deepest of hugs, far more hurt by what he said then by the possibility of him going to a far away school. "Of course they want you, Merlin. You're not a monster, you are kind and lovable and wonderful and they would be lucky to have you."

"You do have a point, Merlin," Gaius said. "You are able to cast mental magic, the practice of which is strictly against the laws of Camelot. If you are caught using it there, you will most certainly be put to death."

Both Merlin and his mother paled at the thought of being put to death. Ever since he was little he had nightmares of being put on the pyre to burn for the curse that he held inside of him. And no matter how many times his mother had tried to comfort him, saying that she will always be there to protect him, he always knew that she wouldn't be able to do that forever. He just didn't think it would be so soon.

"However," Gaius continued calmly, trying to ease both parent and child. "Despite the risks that it brings, it is also the best place to learn to cast—and control—magic. Physical magic, yes, but you are also very talented in that regard as well. It would be very rewarding."

By this point, Hunith still hadn't let Merlin go and was petting his hair softly. "Will I have to leave home?" Merlin asked in a small, vulnerable voice. He snuggled himself closer to his mother, glad for the comfort.

"Yes," Gaius answered honestly. "It is a boarding school in Camelot, which means that you would have to leave Ealdor to go to school there. It's a far ways from home and you probably will only be able to come home for Christmas, if that."

The thought of leaving home for that amount of time baffled him. He couldn't think of a time that he had left the small town of Ealdor, much less been away from home for any long extended period of time. It would mean leaving his mother, the clearing, Will, and everything that he knew in order to go to this school. "I'm not sure I could do that," he said honestly.

"And you don't have to, Merlin," his mother said quickly, relieved at her son not completely wanting to go. "You don't have to do anything that you don't want to."

"It's completely your choice," Gaius agreed somberly. "However, an opportunity like this won't present itself again." Gaius shifted himself so he sat a little lower, looking into Merlin's eyes. "I won't lie to you. Going there will be difficult enough, between being away from home and the difficulty of the studies. You will also have an even harder time keeping your gift hidden there.

"However, this is also a great opportunity for you. You won't believe the things that you'll learn there—things that you can do with magic that you never even though possible. You'll also have friends with similar abilities to you, albeit less powerful. They will be able to teach you things that you won't be able to learn here in Ealdor. Who knows, you might even be able to discover a purpose for your gifts. It's your decision."

Merlin inwardly grimaced when Gaius called his magic a "gift", knowing that it was definitely anything but. But something in his uncle's words resonated inside of him, allowing him to feel that for once there was a way to put his magic to good use for once.

He looked up at his mother's face for her own input, being unable to make the decision completely on his own. She looked down tenderly at him, saying only "Do whatever you think is right, sweetheart. I'll support you either way." Even though her words were nothing but supportive, something in the way she said it broke his heart. Out of all the things that he would be leaving behind, he knew that leaving his mother would hurt the most.

Not knowing any other way to make his decision, Merlin decided to do something that he hadn't dare try for years. He closed his eyes, pretending to think, when he actually reached out gently with his magic to find his mother's mind. It didn't take long to find with her being so close and familiar to him. He treaded carefully, trying not to give it away what he was doing. It wasn't long before he saw what his mother was thinking and the swirl of emotions that was underneath it. It was difficult to completely decipher what she was thinking, so instead Merlin just let the general pictures and feelings wash over him.

Worry. That was the first and most prevalent thing that he saw in her mind. Worrying over him, to be precise. Worrying that he would leave her and go to a strange place where she couldn't protect him. Worrying that something would happen to him, knowing that there would be no way that she would be able to forgive herself. There was a brief picture of his mother crying over someone's grave and Merlin didn't want to look at whose grave it was but he knew deep down inside that it was his own. There was also worry that he would stay with her and wouldn't be able to learn all of the things that he could while he was at Ealdor. She worried that he would never learn to fully control his powers and someday someone would discover him and there would be nothing that she could do to save him.

No matter which emotion or image that he looked at, the main thing that he saw in his mother's mind was worry, fear, and pain, all things that no one wants their mother to experience. _All because of me,_ he thought sadly as he quietly pulled out of his mother's mind. His decision was made.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, making sure the tell-tale gold in his eyes had gone away before looking back at Gaius. "I'll do it," he said calmly, looking his uncle right in the eye. "I'll go to Hogwarts to learn about my magic." Something shifted inside of him, as if his magic was recognizing the enormity of his words. Almost like destiny itself was shifting around him, tying him to events that he couldn't even dream of.

Both Hunith and Gaius looked surprised at his seemingly quick decision. "Are you sure, Merlin?" his mother asked hesitantly, letting go of him to get a better look at him. "You don't have to make the decision now, you can think about it—"

"I'm sure Mom," Merlin said quietly yet firmly. Now that he said it he knew that it was the right decision. He couldn't stay with his mother any longer, being a burden as he was and causing her to worry. Even if he wasn't learning how to control his magic better, he knew that it wouldn't be right to stay with his mother any longer. "You're always the one saying that I need to perfect my magic, right? Well here's my chance to, and I've got to take it."

His mother considered his words for a second, looking at him intently. In moments like these she saw more of his father than her in him and knew that trying to stop him would accomplish nothing. "Okay sweetheart. If this is what you want to do, then we'll make it happen."

Merlin smiled brightly at his mother, trying to hide his fear like he always did. He turned around to look at Gaius, who still had a surprisingly serious look on his face. "What do I do now, Gaius?"

"Nothing. I'll send word that you have accepted the invitation to attend Hogwarts and make all of the necessary arrangements. All that I ask you to do is go with me in a couple of weeks to get all of the supplies that you'll need."

Merlin nodded in agreement before his face fell at a realization. "How much do you think the supplies will cost? I don't have much, but..."

"Don't you worry about that Merlin," Gaius said quickly, brushing off his concerns. "I still have my birthday gift to give you, remember? I'll provide all the supplies that you'll need to attend, so long as you're there to help me pick them out."

At that Merlin's eyes widened and embraced his uncle, extremely grateful. He had no idea how much the supplies would cost, but he knew that they wouldn't be cheap. "Thank you so much, Gaius. I don't know how to thank you enough."

"Don't mention it, my boy." Gaius said, patting his back before letting go completely. "So I'll see you, say, next Saturday?"

"I can't wait," Merlin replied truthfully. He couldn't wait to start preparing to attend this mysterious school. He just couldn't tell if it was out of excitement or fear for the changes that it would bring.


End file.
